The law and its character of fear, with blessing conditional on
obedience

But having thus terminated the course of grace, the scene changes
entirely. They do not keep the feast on the mountain, whither God, as
He had promised, had led them -- had "brought them, bearing
them, as on eagles' wings, to himself." He proposes a condition
to them: If they obeyed His voice, they should be His people. The
people -- instead of knowing themselves, and saying, "We dare
not, though bound to obey, place ourselves under such a condition, and
risk our blessing, yea, make sure of losing it" -- undertake to
do all that the Lord had spoken. The blessing now took the form of
dependence, like Adam's, on the faithfulness of man as well as of
God. Still farther was it from being, as ours, based on a fulfilled
and accomplished redemption; it was not even based on an unconditional
promise, as in the case of Abraham [1] . The people, however, are not
permitted to approach God, who hid Himself in the darkness. In fact
they undertook obedience far from God, in a state in which they could
not approach Him in that majesty to which obedience was
due. Nevertheless God gave all possible solemnity to the communication
of His law, and sees it good that the people should fear before Him;
but what can fear do towards giving power at a distance from Him? The
feeling may, perhaps, be proper; but it is not proper to undertake to
obey in such a state. Terror, and the condition of obedience when the
people are far from God -- such is the character of the law, a rule
sent out to man, taken in its largest character, when man cannot
approach God, but a barrier is set up, and the question of
righteousness as the way of life raised and claimed from man when man
is a sinner.

Man's work and order in worship equally prohibited

Moses, when God had spoken to the people, and the people dared no more
to hearken, drew near to the thick darkness, and received the
instructions of God for the people -- moral and general
instructions -- relating to their possession of the land, in case
they should enter upon it according to the covenant of the law. Two
things are pointed out as to worship -- the work of man, and his
order, in which his nakedness will certainly be made manifest; and
they are equally and together prohibited by God.

Christ's devotedness, love, and service "for ever"

We have (as we may observe by the way) a beautiful type (chap. 21) of
the devotedness of Christ to the church and to His Father, and His
love to us. Having served already faithfully His full service as man,
during His lifetime, He would remain a servant even in death for the
sake of the Father, the church, and His people. He made Himself a
servant for ever. (Compare John 13 for the present time, and Luke 12
even for glory).

[1] It is important for us to see that our standing before God does
not rest on promise, but on accomplished redemption. All that
concerned that and the basis of our assurance of faith is accomplished
promise. Glory is in hope.